


apple cores & accidental confessions

by theglitterati



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Animals, Birthdays, Fluff, Getting Together, Haikyuu Halloween Week 2020, M/M, apple picking, autumn vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27268483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theglitterati/pseuds/theglitterati
Summary: Akaashi goes apple picking with Bokuto and his family for Bokuto's birthday. Bokuto's parents mistakenly assume he's Bokuto's boyfriend.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 7
Kudos: 231





	apple cores & accidental confessions

Akaashi’s doorbell rang five times in a row. His father, on the couch, looked up from his book. “Is that Koutarou-kun?”

“Who else rings like that?” Akaashi finished putting on his sneakers and opened the door.

“Morning, Akaashi!” Bokuto stood on the front step, smiling brightly. It was strange, seeing him in casual clothes. He wore a puffy black jacket and jeans, a chunky, red scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Good morning, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, “and happy birthday.”

“Thanks!”

“Happy birthday, Koutarou-kun.” Akaashi’s dad joined them in the genkan. “I gave Keiji some money to bring home apples for us, so please make sure he doesn’t eat them all before he gets back.”

Bokuto bowed. “I promise I won’t let him!”

“Otou-san,” Akaashi grumbled. “Stop. We’re leaving now.”

“Fine, fine. Have fun.”

“Bye, Akaashi-san!” Bokuto called as Akaashi shut the door. “Let’s go!”

Akaashi fiddled with his jacket buttons as he followed Bokuto to the car. He’d never met Bokuto’s family before — they always studied and hung out at Akaashi’s since he lived closer to school. He wanted to make a good impression.

He slid in the back seat. Bokuto’s parents were in the front and his older sister, Izumi, was in the back with them. His mother turned around in the driver’s seat. “You must be Keiji-kun.” Her smile was warm, her hair shockingly white like Bokuto’s.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” Akaashi said. “Thank you very much for inviting me today.”

Bokuto’s mother’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh my, so polite!”

“Are you sure you’re actually friends with Kou?” Izumi asked. She had dark hair like Bokuto’s father, who peered at him through the headrest.

“Did he trick you into coming today?” he deadpanned.

“Guys!” Bokuto yelped. “Akaashi’s really my friend! I didn’t trick him!”

His mother laughed. “We know, darling. We’re just teasing. Keiji-kun, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Akaashi relaxed into the seat. Good impression: check.

The apple orchard was an hour’s drive out of Tokyo. Bokuto’s family had been going there on or around his birthday since he was a kid. It was a sweet tradition, made sweeter by the fact that Bokuto’s birthday was at the peak of apple season. Akaashi gathered from Bokuto’s parents that he was the first non-family-member to ever be invited. He was weirdly honoured.

They saw the orchard before reaching the parking lot; it was huge, sprawling over low hills. The day was overcast and chilly, but Akaashi liked it better that way. Being bundled up in scarves and jackets felt festive, and the grey skies made the changing autumn leaves look brighter.

Bokuto’s parents bought bags to fill at the gate, Akaashi passing over the money his dad had given him for two bags of his own. They parked the car in the loose gravel lot.

“We’ll let you kids go off on your own,” Bokuto’s father said. Apparently, Izumi was also one of ‘you kids,’ despite being in university. “Meet back here for lunch, okay?” They would eat at the orchard’s open pit barbecue. Akaashi could see why Bokuto liked it here.

“‘Kay!” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi by the arm and ran, Izumi yelling, “Wait for me, jerk!” and chasing them.

They wandered through rows and rows of trees labelled with different apple varieties. Bokuto knew a surprising amount about them: some were for baking, some for eating raw, some for making cider. Akaashi’s dad hadn’t given him any instructions about what type of apples to get, so he threw whatever looked good in his bag.

Bokuto stopped short in the middle of a row of Fujis. “Oh my god. I want that one!”

A huge, golden-red apple hung from the nearest tree. It looked delicious. It was also about twelve feet off the ground.

Bokuto backed up and ran at the tree, preparing to jump like he was going to spike a volleyball. He missed the apple by about a foot, but knocked two others to the ground.

“No way you’re reaching that,” Izumi told him. It didn’t stop Bokuto from trying twice more. He whined in frustration.

“There may be a way,” Akaashi said, regretting the words that were about to leave his mouth.

Thirty seconds later, he was on Bokuto’s shoulders, eye-level with the holy grail. “I’m actually surprised you can hold me up like this.” He'd expected human-pyramid levels of disaster.

“Pssht. It’s easy. You’re scrawny, Akaashi.”

“Take that back, or I’m not giving you the apple.”

“Geh! Okay, you’re very normal-sized.” Bokuto grinned. “It’s me who’s super strong!”

“Alright,” Akaashi allowed. He plucked the apple from the tree. It really did look tasty.

Bokuto set Akaashi down gently and turned to Izumi, who was filming them on her phone. “See? I told you Akaashi’s my real friend! You wouldn’t have done that for me!”

She snorted. “You’re right, I wouldn’t have.” Bokuto stuck his tongue out at her.

“Come on,” he said to Akaashi. “Now that we know our _true_ vertical, we can get so many more good ones!” He skipped off down the aisle. 

Akaashi was definitely regretting his words.

*

After putting their full bags in the car, they went together to the barbecue pit. Akaashi loaded his plate with meat, rice and, of course, apples and squished onto the picnic bench beside Bokuto.

“This is an awesome birthday,” Bokuto mumbled through a mouth full of meat. “Akaashi, isn’t this great?”

“Mmf,” Akaashi agreed, his mouth equally full.

Bokuto’s father laughed. “Oh, to be a teenager again and be able to eat like that.”

“Keiji-kun, I’m surprised you can keep up with Koutarou,” his mother said. “No one eats as much as he does.”

“Akaashi does!” Bokuto said. “He eats way more than me! He’s always hungry.” He plucked a particularly juicy piece of meat from Akaashi’s plate and popped it in his mouth.

“Leave your poor boyfriend some food then, Koutarou.”

Akaashi nearly choked. “His _what?”_

“Okaa-san!” Bokuto sputtered. “He’s— he’s not— I never said that!”

Bokuto’s parents exchanged looks. “I’m sorry, dear,” his mother said. “Your father and I just assumed. You’ve seemed so happy today, and you talk about him all the time. Last week, you were going on about how handsome he is—”

“OKAA-SAN! Please stop talking!” Bokuto was close to tearing his hair out. Distressed Bokuto was a familiar sight to Akaashi, and not one he wanted to see on his birthday. He forced down his food.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” he said, as calmly as possible. “Boku— Koutarou and I are just good friends.”

Bokuto’s mother pursed her lips. “I hope we didn’t upset you, Keiji-kun.”

“Not at all,” Akaashi promised. He tugged on Bokuto’s sleeve to get his attention. “Really. It’s fine.”

Bokuto angrily bit into an apple instead of answering.

The rest of lunch was awkward, to say the least. They shared a birthday cake for Bokuto, who looked like he’d rather jump off a cliff than eat it no matter how much everyone tried to cheer him up. Akaashi needed to talk to him privately, to make sure he understood that he wasn’t mad at him.

Izumi gave them the opportunity once the cake was put away. “We were gonna go look around the shop, right, Otou-san?”

“Oh, uh, right.” Bokuto’s father waved them off. “You boys do whatever you’d like.” Izumi hurried her parents away, leaving the two of them alone.

“You wanted to go to the petting zoo after lunch, right?” Akaashi asked. 

Bokuto shrugged. Akaashi glared at him until he answered. “Yeah.”

“Come on then.” He hauled Bokuto up the elbow.

They tramped across the muddy grass to the corrals, where a few sleepy farm animals were penned. Akaashi stuck a coin in the vending machine and poured animal feed into Bokuto’s hand. Maybe feeding a goat would cheer him up.

Akaashi scratched the animal’s head while Bokuto fed it. “I’m sorry my mom said all that stuff,” Bokuto said to the goat.

Akaashi answered on its behalf. “It’s really okay. I’m not mad or upset at all.”

Bokuto finally met his eye. “Really?”

“Yes. If anything, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me.” The goat finished eating and wandered away in search of more food. They went to the next pen, which held rabbits. Bokuto picked up a giant, black-and-white speckled one.

“Well, yeah. You’re my friend.”

“Do you tell your parents how handsome all your friends are?”

Akaashi was teasing, but Bokuto’s hand froze on the rabbit’s head, and Akaashi swore he blushed. “Um, I dunno.” He put the bunny down and moved onto the next corral, where a sheep sniffed his hand eagerly. 

Akaashi frowned. Bokuto was embarrassed, even though he was never embarrassed, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. “Bokuto-san?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you _want_ to be my boyfriend?”

“Are you asking me to be?”

“No,” Akaashi said, and there was a flash of disappointment across Bokuto’s face. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant… were your parents right in thinking that you like me? As more than a friend?”

Bokuto toyed with the tassels on his scarf. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t know, okay!?” The sheep took a step back from him. “It’s confusing. Sometimes I think we’re only friends, but sometimes I feel different. Normally when I like someone I just think they’re hot, but I like you for lots of other reasons, too. And I’ve never liked a guy before! So I don’t know.”

A lot of thoughts ran through Akaashi’s mind, but the loudest was: _he thinks I’m hot?_

Bokuto leaned on the fence, trying to entice the sheep to come back. “I’m so mad at them for telling you. I just… wanted time to think about it, before I said anything. _If_ I said anything.”

The sheep returned and allowed Bokuto to pet her. Akaashi took a moment, while he was distracted, to really look at him. It was easier, in an unfamiliar place, in unfamiliar clothes, to take an objective view.

Objectively, Bokuto was handsome, his red scarf making his cheeks ever pinker. Akaashi knew he was attractive, even if he wasn’t sure he was attracted to him. 

Subjectively, Bokuto was kind and funny and generous, whether he was praising Akaashi on the court or petting a sheep with surprising gentleness.

Most relationships began with a confession from one person to another. Even if you didn’t know if you liked the person, you could agree to go out with them and find out. Akaashi didn’t know how he felt about Bokuto. But he did want to find out.

“We could try it,” he blurted.

Bokuto’s brow furrowed. “Try what?”

 _Good question._ “Um, dating, maybe? Going on a date.”

Bokuto glanced at him warily. “Are you actually asking this time?”

“Yes.”

“But—” Bokuto looked to the sheep for guidance. “Do you— do you even like me?”

“Maybe.” Akaashi wasn’t sure if he liked Bokuto _that way,_ but generally, there was no one he liked more than Bokuto. “If one of us decides it’s too weird, we can go back to being friends, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Akaashi poked him in the stomach. “So is that a yes?”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They both pet the sheep, not speaking.

“It’s weird now,” Bokuto said.

“A little. But look.” Akaashi pointed to the next enclosure, where a barn owl stared at them through chicken wire.

“Oh my god,” Bokuto whispered. He took off toward the owl at top speed.

Akaashi thought it was kind of cute.

*

“This is the best part!” Bokuto announced. They stood at the entrance to a corn maze. Akaashi kind of thought the apple picking was the best part of apple picking, but Bokuto was in a better mood, so he kept it to himself. “You know how we get through it?”

“By keeping our right hands on the wall?”

“What? No. By using our instincts!”

“Oh,” Akaashi said. “Okay.”

“I’ll teach you!”

Akaashi followed him into the maze. A few kids ran past them, but mostly, the passageways were empty. 

They relied on Bokuto’s instincts, which led them to several dead ends. In the fifth one, Akaashi was thinking about sneaking a peek at the compass on his phone when Bokuto took his hand. Akaashi whipped his head around. Bokuto pretended to be very interested in the corn.

“Bokuto-san?”

“Is this okay?” Bokuto asked quietly.

“Yes.” Akaashi wasn’t sure why they were whispering, but Bokuto’s hand was warm in his, and he didn’t feel like letting go.

They got through the maze faster after that, Bokuto’s attention on Akaashi rather than his instincts, but Akaashi found himself wishing they could slow down. It was nice, walking through the corn, talking with Bokuto, hand in hand. He started walking them down dead ends deliberately.

In one such spot, he turned to find Bokuto close to him, their faces inches apart.

“Um,” Bokuto said, before kissing Akaashi on the cheek. It was only a peck, but Akaashi could hear his heartbeat in his ears. “Was that okay?”

“You should do the other one,” Akaashi said. “For symmetry.”

Bokuto leaned in. This time, he lingered longer, his breath ghosting over Akaashi’s skin before he pulled away.

“You liked that,” Bokuto said.

This time, it was Akaashi who blushed. “Yeah, well, so did you.”

Bokuto took his hand again. “Yep.” He pointed at what Akaashi knew was completely the wrong direction. “I think it’s this way.”

“Okay,” Akaashi said.

*

They met Izumi and Bokuto’s parents at the car. They had gone on a shopping spree while Bokuto and Akaashi were in the maze, filling the trunk with honey and pies. They also had cups of hot apple cider for each of them. Akaashi took the drink happily, its warm sweetness making his mouth water.

They loaded into the car, Bokuto’s dad at the wheel. His mother spun around in her seat. “I’m sorry, again, about lunch,” she said. “Koutarou, I hope you’re—”

“It’s fine,” Bokuto said, waving her off. “Not a big deal.”

She blinked. “Okay then. So you boys had a nice day?”

Bokuto grinned at Akaashi. “The best.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at kyrstin.tumblr.com!


End file.
